Process of treating liquid fuel



E. E. WICKERSHAM.

PROCESS OF TREATING LIQUID FUEL.-

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1920.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR 5 Mcr-fi/yfl/ f l H l 7 V 5 a n \m m s u w m W ma R W Z i L lgn E (E O I! M V (v m H z, {,2 H i 6 8 a1 4 M 7 2 J H 3 a W L ATTORNEYSE. E. WICKERSHAM.

PROCESS OF TREATING LIQUID FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 1920.

7 1,376, 1 80. I Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET 2.

WITN I IN VENTOR I EE-Wz'ckersizam, V

421 A TTOR NE Y5 To all whom. it concern:

UNITED V STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1'

ELMER E. WICKERSHAM, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA. I

PROCESS OF TREATING LIQUID FUEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed Jun e 29, 1920. Serial No. 392,663.

Be it known that I, ELMER E. WIGKER- SHAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Stockton, San Joaquin county, State ofCalifornia, have invented a certain new and useful Process of TreatingLiquid Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a process of treating hydrocarbon oil products,such as gasolene, kerosene, distillate, stove tops, crude oil and otherhydrocarbon oil products.

Crude oil and liquid fuels, derived from crude oil, consist of a mixtureof components having different boiling points and the end boilingpoint,.or that temperature at which the last remaining liquid isvolatilized, determines to a great extent the desirabihty of the use ofthe fuel for different purposes. For instance, in internal combustionengines, it is detrimental to employ liquid fuels having very high endboiling points, because all of the fuel is not vaporized, but flows downthe cylinder walls, past the pistons, and mixes with the lubricating oilin the crank case, reatly impairing and often destroying its lu ricatingqualities. Lower intermediate boiling points also improve the quality ofthe fuel by rendering large proportions thereof volatile at lowertemperatures. One, of the great difficulties experienced today in theoperation of motor vehicles, such as trucks, tractors and automobiles,is'the high end boiling point of the fuel, which causes thecontamination of the lubricating oil, and this is particularly true intractors burning kerosene, distillate and other low gravity fuels.

An, object of my invention is to provide a process of treating liquidfuel to lower the Another object of the invention is to provide aprocess of treating hydrocarbon oil products to improve their qualities.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, withthe foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following descriptionwhere I shall outline in full, the process of my invention and that formof the apparatus which I have selected for illustration in the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of the present specification. In saiddrawings, I have shown several forms of apparatus of my invention, butit is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such forms, sincethe invention, as set forth In the claims, may be embodied in otherforms.

Referring to the drawings:

Iugure l is a longitudinal section throu 11 one form of apparatus forcarrying out t 0 process of my invention. w

Flg. 2 1s a vertical section through a form of the apparatus havingcertain practical advantages. 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a modified form of apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4-4., Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a Vertical section of a form of apparatus for successivelytreating a stream of fuel.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a modified form of apparatus which isoperative at low voltages.

In accordance with my invention, I submerge one or more pairs ofelectrodes in the fuel and pass a high tension interrupted oralternating electric current across the gap or gaps between theelectrodes, so that the.

fuel is subjected to the action of the electhat the propagation of theflame in a compressed combustible mixture of the treated fuel is veryrapid, and I have observed in operating an internal combustion engine,with the exhaust conduit open, that no flame is discharged through theconduit. When used on internal combustion engine fuels, I prefer totreat the fuel immediately before it enters the carburetor and to arr'ane the device for treating the fuel in the fue conduit, so that when themotor is in operation fuel is flowing through the device, although thefuel may be subjected to treatment at the refinery, with equallyadvantageous results. The fuel capacity of the device used on internalcombustion engines is small, so that only a small quantity of fuel istreated at a time, but is sufficiently large so that the therebyproviding base oils. lighter products, such as gasolene and kerosene,but is also true with the heavier products, such as lubricating oils.

flow of the fuel therethrough is quite slow, for a material time oftreatment of the fuel. Eddy currents and agitation of the fuel in thedevice cause practically all of the fuel to be influenced I flows slowlytherethrough, thereby permitby the spark.

- I have found that one of the results of the,

passage of the electric discharge through and precipitation of the basefrom the prod.- uct, that is, asphalt in the case of asphalt base oils,and paraflinin thecase ofparaffin Th1s is true not only with. the

The. device shown in Fig. 1, which is illus-- trative of my invention,comprises a metallic'casing 2, preferably cylindrical in form, having athreaded-nipple 3- on one side to which the fuel conduit is connectedand having a threaded nipple 4 on the other side to which thecarbureteror a conduit leading to the carbureter is connected. Thenipples.

are also preferably spaced apart longitudinally so that the fuel travelslongitudinally of the casing. Secured in the ends of the casing andinsulated therefrom by insul at-. ing bushings 5 are electrodes 6 and 7which are spaced apart to form a spark gap between them, thegapoccurring between the I nipples. A high tension interrupted cur rent isapplied across the spark gap sothat. sparks in rapid succession occur atthe spark. gap. The high tension current may be taken from the ignitionsystem of the engine which may comprise a battery 8 and a high tensioncoil 9 or which may comprise a magneto. When magneto ignition isemployed, it is advisable to provide a magneto having a greater numberof contacts than there are engine cylinders and connect the extracontacts to the spark electrodes. I have found that good results areobtained by using an eight cylinder engine magneto on a four cylinderengine and connecting every other magneto contact to a spark electrode,the other electrode being grounded. The magneto employed deliveredcurrent at 18,000 volts, but I believe a higher voltage, for instance50,000 volts, will be more effective.

In Fig. 2, I have shown a form of device foruse on internal combustionengines, in which the electrodes comprise the sparking points 12-13 of astandard spark: plug 14. This produces a cheaper construction and onewhich may be readily repaired 'by merely renewing the spark plug. Theinlet nipple is preferably arranged adjacent the sparking points and theoutlet nipple 4 is arranged above the sparking points and the spark plugis preferably inserted at the bottom of the casing so that the gasliberated, due to the passage of the sparks through the -will notcollect at the electrodes.

fuel, will rise and flow from the casing and The cascasing issufliciently large so that the fuel ting practically all of the fuel tobe acted on by the. sparks.

In Figs. 3 and 41 have shown a construct1on in which all of the fuel isconstrained to pass between the electrodes. This con- ,structionembodies a spark plug 17 having lying in substantially the same planeand provided with an annular shoulder 22 into which the end of the body18 fits rather snugly andthebody 18 :is provided with apertures 23through which the fuel may forming the other electrode. The casingispass into the interior of therbody. The in- I. let mpple 3 occursbelowtheshoulder and the outlet nipple 4 occurs above the shoul-' der,so that all fuel must pass into the body 18 and throughthe annularpassage 24-be-;

tween the electrodes 19 and2l, where .it' is I subjected'to theaction ofthe electric sparks. In Fig. 5, I have shown a form of the ap- 14 orpairs of electrodes are empl'oyed, the

paratus in which a plurality of spark plugs fuel passing the SHCCBSSIVG.pairs of. electrodes successively and being acted on by the sparks atthe successive electrodes. The

ploying a large number of pairs of electrodes, the fuel may be flowedquite rapidly, so that large amounts thereof may be treated. This, orother comparable forms of apparatus, may be employed at refineries orcentral stations for treating fuel in large volume. While I have shownan apparatus employing spark plugs, it is to be understood that pairs ofelectrodes of any desired form or construction and in any desirednumber, may be emplo ed.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a fbrm of the apparatus which operates to treatthe fuel successfully at comparatively low voltages, such, for instance,as 275 volts. In this form of'construction, one of the electrodes isvibrated or oscillated, moving into and Screwed into the upper end ofthe casing is a casing 33 from which the electrode 34;, having-a diskhead 35, extends into the casing 2. The electrode 34 is movablevertically to separate the heads 32 and 35 to produce a spark betweenthem, the heads being in contact when at rest, and being held in contactb a spring 36. Arranged in the casing 33 s an induction coil comprisingan iron core 37, a primary winding 38 and a secondary winding 39. Theprimary winding is connected in series with the battery 41 and theelectrodes so that when the electrodes are in contact or when a sparkexists between them, current will flow in the primary winding, inducinga current in the secondary winding, the opposite ends of which areconnected to the two electrodes. Secured to the movable electrode is anarmature 42. When the battery circuit is closed, the upper electrode 34will vibrate vertically, causing the production of sparks between theelectrodes. This arrangement will produce a hi h tension discharge, butwhen desirable, o y one coilgimay be employed,

instead of the primary and secondar coils j and the battery connected inseries wlth the coil and the electrodes. The inductive kick of the coil,due to the separating of the electrodes caused by energizing the coil,will cause a fat low tension spark to form between the electrodes. Thevoltage of the spark may be as low as 275 volts.

The passage of the sparks through the fuel produces an evolution ofgases which consists mainly of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxid andcarbondioxid, in substantially the following proportionby volume;hydrogen 86 parts, oxygen 5% parts, carbon monoxid 5 parts, and carbondioxid 3% parts. I find also that nitrogen and sulfurous acid areliberated from the fuel due to the action of the electric discharge. Thesulfurous acid is probably formed by a combination of nascent hydrogenand ox gen with sulfur in the fuel. The evolution of the gas is free andin considerable quantity, and a large proportion of it is oxygen,indicating the presence of oxygen in the fuel. This oxygen is eitherchemically combined with the fuel or is present as moisture or isdissolved in the fuel and treatment by my process deoxidizes the fuel. Iam of the opinion that the presence of oxygen in the fuel isdetrimental, and I believe that when a mixture of air and oxygencontaining fuel vapor is heated and compressed that combination of theoxygen with the hydrogen of the fuel occurs, producing water vapor orsteam which retards the propagation of the flame through the compressedmixture. ance with the process of my invention, the oxygen is removedand the combustible mixture is more rapidly combustible.

By treating the fuel in accorda plurality of electric sparks throughthefuel.

2. The process of reducing the boiling points of the constituent partsof liquid fuel,

which comprises passing a lurality of electric sparks through the fuel3. he process of treating hydrocarbon oil products for the purpose setforth, which comprises passing a plurality of electric sparks throughthe product.

4. The process'of treating hydrocarbon 011 products, which comprisessubjecting the product to the action of an electric current to liberateoxygen from the product.

The process of treatin hydrocarbon 011 products, which COIIIPIISGS,liberating oxygen from the product, by passing electric s arkstherethrough.

6. he process of treating hydrocarbon oil products, which comprisesdeoxidizing the product.

7. The process of treatin liquid fuel, which comprises passing the uelthrough a casing and subjecting the moving fuel to the action of aplurality of electric sparks, whereby oxygen is liberated from the fuel.

8. The process of treatin liquid fuel, which comprises passing the fuelthrough a casing and passing electric sparks throu h the uel while it ispassing through t e casin 9. The process of treating li uid fuel tolower its end boiling point, whic comprises flowing the fuel through apassage in which electric sparks are produced in rapid succession. I

10. The process of treating hydrocarbon oil product for the purpose setforth, which comprises subjecting the roduct to the action of rapidlyrecurrin igh tension electric sparks submerged t erem.

11. The process of treatin liquid fuel, which consists in subjecting t efuel to the action of an electric current to liberate hy-.

drogen from the fuel.

12. The process of treatin liquid fuel which consists in subjecting t efuel to the action of an electric current'to liberate hy drogen andoxygen from the fuel.

13. The rocess of treating liquid fuel which conslsts in passing anelectric spark through the fuel whereby hydrogen is liberated.

14. The process of treating liquid fuel which conslsts in passing anelectric spark through the fuel whereby hydrogen and oxygen areliberated.

15. The process of treating hydrocarbon oil products to improve theirqualities, whic comprises subjecting the product to the action of anelectric discharge therein.

16. The process of treating hydrocarbon to precipitate the base from'theproduct.

19. The process of treatinghydrocarbon oil products, which comprisessubjecting the hi h product to the action of an electric dischargetherein, whereby the oil base is precipitated from the product.

p 20. The process of treating refined hydro- 20 carbon oil products,which comprises subjecting the product to the action of a high tensionelectric discharge passing therethrough.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 25 my hand at San Francisco,California, this 17th day of June, 1920.

ELMER E. WICKERSHAM.

In presence of' H. G. PRos'r,

W. W. HEALEY.

